Tottenham Hotspur's Conflict of Interest: Finding a Head Coach, Not a Manager

In a sport filled with large egos from players to managers to owners, Tottenham appear to be trying to circumvent (or circumcise, depending on your view) this seemingly understood philosophy in their managerial search.

In a sense, it makes sense because of UEFA’s overbearing FFP (Financial Fair Play) rules set to “reign in” club spending. With a sporting director back in place, counting pennies becomes a factor in players coming and going.

In another sense, it’s a bit emasculating to managers within the realm of football. Managers often have a specific goal in mind when the transfer window opens as to what the clubs needs to do to strengthen the squad.

Without the ability to have a significant say in matters, a manager might often feel like he’s being given a do-it-yourself kit with no instructions.

Certainly not all sporting directors (or directors of football) are nearly as involved in the team building or structuring end of things. But, as Liverpool’s run with Damien Comolli showed, getting the wrong pieces can have a disastrous effect on the squad.

For sure, Comolli’s transfer dealings were hit and miss. This 2010 article detailed (at the time) the current prices that players bought under Comolli would fetch on the transfer market.

If the goal was to bring in a positive revenue stream or be close to even, then Comolli would be labeled successful. Often that success was on Comolli’s scouting rather than Jol or Juande Ramos’ wanting of certain players.

However, it took time for some of the players on the list of Comolli signings to make good on the promise they showed elsewhere. While this is fine for Levy or the next sporting director, the manager has to use the squad in his possession to make good on the pitch.

Moyes, meanwhile, would suffer the cruel irony of having left a place with no money to buy players with and instead having plenty of money but little say in proceedings, a track that seems incredibly unlikely to suit the Everton boss.

Thus, it will fall to less forceful managers than those two to fill the position. Andre Villas-Boas has been mooted as a possible successor, as has Laurent Blanc.

AVB has obviously got experience dealing with players being forced upon him (Fernando Torres, anyone?) while Blanc may be alright with the idea considering he is currently the French national squad boss and not in a management position at a club.

What’s worrying is that it’s simply more a matter of X’s and O’s as opposed to Johnny’s and Joe’s for the manager. Not many managers could stand the idea of having as little say as likely to be the case at Tottenham.

A failure to get rolling right out of the gates will be a sign that the squad members are not in the right frame of mind and it could easily make the transition process extremely difficult before the summer transfer window closes.

It is a tricky tight-rope for all parties involved, one that Tottenham must get right or risk becoming the next Aston Villa or Everton, and falling out of line with the rest of the clubs at the top of the table.